3 to diet for

October 10, 2005|By Kathryn Masterson, RedEye.

America is overwhelmed with diets. Flip through the morning shows and there are weight-loss gurus on every channel pumping their products and plans. Go into the health section of the bookstore, and you'll find aisles of books promising the secret to shedding pounds.

We've broken down a couple of the latest weight-loss plans.

The Portion Teller diet

Created by: Lisa Young, a New York dietician who appeared in the movie "Supersize Me."

Philosophy: Big portions make us fat. By limiting portions of certain foods, we can manage our weight. Also, understanding why we eat too much is key to controlling our diets.

How it works: Sensible eating choices without needing to weigh food or count calories. Young says her book educates people so they will make smarter choices about how much they're eating. For example, when they learn that eating one muffin is like eating six and a half waffles, they may chose to eat fewer muffins. Behavior strategies (such as not eating out of bags) are supposed to help people improve their diets.

What you can eat: Anything, but in reasonable portions.

What you can't: No foods are prohibited, but Young discourages eating red meat, cream or foods made with trans fats.

Buzz words: Portion Awareness, which means knowing how much protein, carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables and fat you should be eating. Also, Young has categories for different kinds of overeaters: Mindless Muncher, Volume Eater and Lopsided Eater.

Dietitians weigh in: Manipulating portions so that you're eating fewer calories is one of the only true ways to lose weight, said Dawn Jackson Blatner.

The 3-Hour Diet

Created by: Diet expert Jorge Cruise, who's been on TV's "Extra" and writes a column for USA Weekend

Philosophy: When you eat is more important than what you eat. Waiting more than three hours between eating causes the body to consume lean muscle tissue, which controls your metabolism.

How it works: Eat your first meal within an hour of waking up, then every three hours, including a snack between each meal. Stop eating at least three hours before bedtime.

What you can eat: Portion control at meals is emphasized. For breakfast, lunch and dinner, Cruise suggests a plate with protein the size of a deck of cards, a Rubik's cube size of carbs, a water cap of fat and three DVD cases of vegetables and fruit. The 3-Hour Diet also has its own line of meal replacement bars or smaller snack bars for between meals.

What you can't eat: Too much of anything. There are no bad foods, only bad portions.

Buzz words: "Time Based Nutrition." Also, cortisol, a stress-related chemical that Cruise says causes belly fat. Eating every three hours is supposed to reduce cortisol levels in the body, which will cause dieters to lose their abdominal fat first.

Dietitians weigh in: Portion control is good, but pinning a diet on cortisol levels is "oversimplifying a complicated biochemical situation in the body," Cynthia Sass said. Because cortisol is related to stress, you can still have high levels if you're eating right but experiencing a lot of stress.

Bread for Life Diet

Created by: Olga Raz, an Israeli nutritionist.

Philosophy: Low-carb diets don't work because they cause low levels of serotonin, a chemical in the blood. Carbs boost serotonin levels, making you feel full and satisfied.

How it works: Eat bread. Lots of it. The diet suggests eight to 12 slices of bread a day for women and 12 to 16 slices a day for men. Raz recommends light bread made with whole grains, but you can occasionally have white bread. If you eat regular bread, she recommends cutting in half the number of slices each day.

What you can eat: Carbs, including rice and pasta about two weeks into the diet; as many vegetables as you want; poultry, lean meat, fish and eggs three to five times a week; some fruit.

What you can't eat: No food is banned, but you should limit red meat, white bread and fruit. There is no calorie counting, but you are supposed to watch the amount of simple carbohydrates (sugars) and fat you eat.

Buzz words: Serotonin, a chemical that signals to your body that you are full. Carbs raise your serotonin levels, while low-carb diets make them drop, Raz said. High serotonin levels improve your mood and get rid of cravings.

Dietitians weigh in: This diet sounds like too many carbs for some of Cynthia Sass' clients, such as shorter women with a sedentary lifestyle. They might not be able to burn the carbs they're eating, which could cause them to gain more weight, she said.